“The Royce will be accessible fine dining at its best, and I want guests to feel completely at home when they walk through the doors,” Fau said in a statement. “We will showcase the beauty and complex flavors of local produce and pure ingredients, and invite guests to experience the gastronomic wonders of true cooking.”

Pasadena Playhouse officials said the theater company emerged Wednesday from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, after its financial reorganization plan was approved by a Los Angeles court.

“We are deeply grateful for the collective support that has allowed the Playhouse to expeditiously move through this difficult and sometimes painful process,” said Stephen Eich, executive director of the Playhouse, in a statement.

“Although we will be moving slowly in the future to ensure financial responsibility and stability, we will in fact be back,” Eich said.

As part of an effort to resurrect the historic theater and shed its “unbearable” debts, Playhouse officials also said they received an anonymous matching pledge of $1 million earlier this year, and they hope a continued fundraising campaign will match or exceed the donation.

The Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts organization announces today that its 2010 design transformation will take place at the historic Cravens Estate on what was once Pasadena’s Millionaire’s Row. [Slide show below]

The nearly 20,000-square-foot estate, built in 1929 and 1930, is headquarters to the San Gabriel Pomona Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, which is collaborating with the PSHA on the effort.

From April 18 to May 16, 26 interiordesigners and seven exterior designers will work with a team of experts in historic architecture
and preservation to revitalize the property, benefit chair Beverly Marksbury said in a statement.

“… While
we’re taking the greatest care to respect the estate’s past, our designers will
also make use of cutting edge design technology, trends and creativity,” she said.

Designed for John and Mildred Cravens by renowned San Francisco architect Lewis P. Hobart, the French chateau
mansion took two years to build and was inspired by the grand Chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte
in France.

“What’s interesting is that Mildred Cravens was a Board
member of the American Red Cross,” Marksbury said. “She held many meetings at
the estate and, then, as it turned out, the house was sold by its current
owner, Simon Zervos, to the Red Cross in 1964. But here’s what we didn’t know
until very recently: The Chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte (in France) served as a Red Cross
headquarters during World War I and II.”

The estate is now a popular filming location for movies/television and a rental site for weddings and events.

On Friday, Jan. 22, you can preview the Showcase House before its dramatic transformation takes place. The Empty House Party gives designers a chance to present and explain their design concepts.

And tickets for the Pasadena Showcase House of Design — which
includes not only the house and garden tour, but also the Shops at Showcase, with more than 25 vendors, a restaurant and bar — will go on sale Feb. 15.

(Photo courtesy Pasadena Showcase House of Design; Slideshow from San Gabriel Pomona Valley Chapter of the Red Cross Flickr photostream)

An informant e-mail this weekend confirms the long-time-coming Wine Detective is now open in Pasadena.

“After two years of blood, sweat and tears, 400 wines tasted and starting to suspect that it might never happen, WineDetective has quietly opened its doors to the wine-loving public.”

The tasting room offers 50 wines for sampling through Enomatic wine dispensers that allow you to sniff out your own clues notes.

Individual wines are self-sampled, one ounce at a time, by using a special debit card preloaded to fit your budget. Make your selections by button, and the card is charged for the price of each ounce. Repeat the ones you love, ditch the ones you don’t — and reload the card if necessary.

A small menu of cold-cut plates and Basque-style sandwiches is available.

“Captain Sully saved the lives of 155 people and is an excellent
example of the everyday American hero,” said Jeffrey Throop, acting
president of the Tournament of Roses. “With his theme, A Cut Above the Rest,
President Gary DiSano wanted to honor those who strive to make every
effort better than the last. Sullenberger has certainly shown how we
can do that and we are honored to have him host the 2010 festivities.”

“It
has long been a family tradition to watch the Rose Parade,” said
Captain Sullenberger. “I am incredibly honored to be named the Grand
Marshal of such a revered American institution.”